Portfolio paper-file



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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

J. N. JACOBS, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

PORTFOLIO PAPER-FILE.

Specicaton of Letters Patent No. 28,755, dated June 19, 1860.

T o all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. N. JACOBS, of VOrcester, in the county of lVorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and Improved Portfolio; and I do hereby declare that the -following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,

making a part of this specication, in which- Figure l represents an inside view of the portfolio laid open, showing the several sheets of printed matter secured within the same. Fig. 2 is an end view of Fig. l, showing one of the leaves of the portfolio in an extended state, in red lines.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures.

This invention and improvement in portfolios, for filing letters or papers, consists in applying to an ordinary book back,-such as is prepared by the book binder for book covers,-two or more suitable cords that are secured to the back edge of one leaf of the portfolio, at suitable points, and that have needles attached to their loose ends; and in attaching at suitable points, on the opposite leaf, on the inside of the same elastic cords, or loops, or even flat coiled springs will answer, that have metal eyes, into which the needles on the cords are placed in order to fasten the cords to the elastic strips. The whole, when combined with a port-folio back as will be hereinafter described, will make a self-holding, self-adjusting bookshaped portfolio that will have all the appearance of a bound book, and which will require no clasp or fastening to keep the leaves together, as the means employed for filing the papers or letters will keep the leaves together whether the portfolio be full or only partially full of papers.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand my invention I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

The portfolio consists of two boards A, A', that are neatly covered with cloth, vellum, paper, or book-binders leather, or any suitable material, which cover forms the back portion B, of the portfolio, that should not be stiff nor elastic, but pliant and not liable to break or crack when folded up. This portion of .the portfolio is made recisely in the same manner as the backs of such books as are glued together instead of being sewed or secured to the boards by strings. These two boards when `connected together by a pliable back B, of a vsuitable width (the width ofthe volume vwhen complete), .and finished up in a neat style are ready to receive the cords and elastic strips, which, when combined with such a portfolio constitutes my improvement.

D, D represent two cords that are suitably attached to the board or leaf A, at the back edge, and which have needles a, a, fastened to their ends; the eyes of the needles a, a, are in the middle of them, as represented in the drawings. These strings are passed through the margin at the back of the papers to be filed, as shown in the drawings, the needles being used for this purpose, and serve to keep the papers together, and securely attached to the portfolio.

E, E are straps or loops of shirred rubber fabric that are secured at one end to the inside of the board A', and have metal eyes Gr, G, attached to their loose ends, through which eyes the needles of cords D, D, are passed for attaching the cords to the elastic straps. The straps may be made of ordinary shirred rubber cloth or even of steel wire; in either instance they will serve the desired end, viz: to keep the cords tight and to draw the back edges of the two boards A, A, together.

F, F are eyes that are secured to the back edge of leaf or board A, through which the cords D, D, pass, these eyes are very important in order to keep the parts in their proper position, in fact without these eyes or something answering the saine purpose, the invention wouldbe inoperative, for they keep the two black edges of the boards A, A', together and in their proper place when the strings are attached to the elastic straps or loops E, E. The cords may be of any desirable length, and the width of the backs B, in accordance with the length of the cords; and the portfolios may be gotten up for filing away, and to all intents and purposes, binding newspapers, periodicals, music,-let ters, etc.

From thisdescription it will be Seen that the whole object of the invention and improvement upon former portfolios is to obtain a portfolio which will have all the appearance of a bound book with a back to the book, and which will hold the papers, filed in it, compactly, safely and securely,

as if they were stitched and bound. The papers will in no way be injured by the means used to secure them in the portfolio, and they may be placed in, and taken out with ease whenever desirable without inaking the others loose. The plan is a very cheap, neat and convenient means for filing away papers in a careful manner to preserve them.

I am aware that elastic bands, backs, loops and fastenings have been applied to boards or leaves, forming thereby a portfolio; and I am well aware that adjustable slides have been used with strings but with open backs, and therefore these I wish to disclaim.

J. NELSON JACOBS.

Witnesses:

JOHN BATTLE, J AMES H. BANCROFT. 

